Ditching-machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. M. MARQUIS.

DITGHING MACHINE.

No. 328,67 Patented 001;. 20,-1885.

(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.-

- F. M. MARQUIS.

DITUHING MACHINE.

No. 328.6917. Patented Oct. 20, 1885.

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(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

F. M. MARQUIS.

DITOHING MACHINE.

No. 328.697. Patented 001;. 20, 1885.

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(No Mode l.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. P. M. MARQUIS DITGHING MACHINE. No. 328,697, Patented Oct. 20, 1885.

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FRANCIS M. MARQUIS, OF ZANESFIELD, OHIO,

DlTCHlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,697, dated October 20, 1885.

Application filed November 6, 1884. Serial No. 147,284. (No model.)

' have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ditehingfllachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to. make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in ditching-machines of that class which is adapted to excavate ditches in which draintiles are to be laid; and it consists, first, in the combination of the machine-frame, which is mounted on wheels, a frame which is pivoted to the driving-shaft,and which has an elevator-frame pivoted to its opposite end, an auxiliary apron which is secured to the front side of the elevator, a rod which is pivoted to said plow or excavator, and which passes up through the machine-frame, and means for securing said rod at any desired adjustment, springs connected to the rod, and means for actuating the elevator; second, in the peculiar combination and construction of parts that will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine which is adapted to dig ditches for drain-tiles, said machine being so constructed as to dig a ditch of any desired depth to carry away the dirt as it is loosened, and to elevate it above the top or surface of the ditch.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation,partly in section, of my ditching-machine, showing the exca-vatingappara tus in position when working at the bottom of a ditch. Fig. 2 is a side view showing the machine when in position for transportation and not at work. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation. Fig. 5 is a detailed section showing the apparatus employed for discharging the buckets of their contents. Fig. 6 is a detailed top plan of a grading-plow to be used in connection with my ditchingmachine.

A represents a truck, which is placed at the front of the machine-frame, and B represents a truck the shaft of which is journaled in the rear of the machine-frame. Connecting these trucks are the beams C, which are provided with arches G near their front ends for the purpose of allowing the wheels of the forward truck to pass under them when making a short turn. These beams O are placed at a suitable distance apart and govern the width of the machine-frame.

To the rear shaft is secured a spurred wheel, D, which is secured theretoa little to one side of the center, and pivoted upon this shaft on opposite sides of the wheel D are the side bars,D,which form a frame in which the shafts D and D have their bearings. The shaft D passes through the bars D near the rear ends of said bars, and is provided with the pinion E, which is secured to said shaft, and which pinion meshes with the spurred wheel D.

A chain-wheel, F, is secured on one of the ends of the shaft D", and is connected by means of a link-chain to the chain-whcel G, which is secured on one of the ends of the shaft D. The shaft D is journalcd in the outer ends of the bars D, and has secured on its end adjacent to the wheel G, a similar wheel, H.

K represents the sides of the elevator-frame, which are of the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and which are provided near their upper ends with the long slots a. These sides are placed against the inner sides of the bars D, and the shaft D passes through the slots formed in said sides, and thereby pivots the elevatorframe to the bars D. The slots a permit the elevator-frame to be raised or lowered with respect to the bars D, and a clamp-screw, K, is provided, which secures the elevaior-frame to the bars D when the elevator is set and. made ready for operation.

In the upper ends of the sides K is journaled a shaft, 1, which is provided with sprocket-wheels 1, that are secured to said shaft on the inner sides, K, and with a chainwhecl, I, which is secured on one of the ends of said shaft, and which is connected with the wheel H by means of an endless chain.

From the upper ends of the sides K project triangular brace-frames L, which extend toward the front of the machine, and in the forward ends of these braces is journaled a shaft, L, which is provided with wheels l1, similar to the wheels I. A frame, L, which is similar to the frame K, is pivoted at its upper end on the shaft L while its lower end is permitted to swing against the lower end of the frame K, as shown at Figs. 1 and 2. A small drum, L, is journaled in the lower end of the frame K, and a similar drum, M, is journaled in the lower end of the frame L.

Sprocket-chains connect the wheels and drum in the elevator-frame, and on the inner sides of these chains are secured carrier-buckets K ,'which are constructed of leather, canvas, or any other flexible material which will admit of the buckets being collapsed, when it is desired to empty them of their contents, by the mechanism to be hereinafter described. An endless apron, L connects the wheels L and the drum M, and this apron is provided with transverse slats L, which are secured on the outer side of said apron equidistant apart. By this construction it will be seen that the rear side of the apron is maintained in a position parallel with and adjacent to the front side of the elevator-chain K Should the gravity of the apron not be sufficient to keep the apron pressed normally against the front side of the elevator, I provide a shoe, U, which extends across the frame of the apron at its rear side near its lower end, and which has its bearings in slots L that are formed transversely in the apron-frame. A spring, L, is secured in the frame and presses against the shoe for the purpose of keeping it normally in contact with the front side of the elevator. A wheel, L is secured on the end of the shaft L, and is connected by a crossed belt with the wheel I, that is secured on the shaft 1 opposite the wheel 1 By the construction hereinbefore described it will be evident that as the machine advances the motion of the 'rear driving-wheels will cause the elevator and its auxiliary apron to travel in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.

T represents a support,which extends transversely across the beams O, and which is provided with a slot, T, in its center about midway between the beams 0, through which slot passes a graduated elevating-bar, B. This bar is provided on one side with a scale, which is marked to indicate feet and inches, and is provided with a series of perforations, R. A pin, R is adapted to be passed through either of these openings above the support T at any desired point, and thus prevent the bar from being loweredany farther.

Springs N bear against the under side of the beams O, and are secured at their centers to the bars R by pins or bolts N.

To the lower end of the bar R is pivoted the front end of the beam of a plow or excavator, which maybe of any preferred construction, and adapted to form a ditch of any shape to correspond with the sort of tile that it is designed to place therein, and from the rear side of the plow or shovel of this excavator extends rearwardly and upwardly an inclined chute or discharge-spout, S, the function of which is to convey the earth which is loosened by the excavator to the lower end of the elev ator,between it and the apron L from whence it will be raised by the elevator, as before described.

An extension or draft bar, S, is pivoted to the front end of the beam, and, if desired, a colter or cutting-blade, S may extend from this point to the plow-point for the purpose of cutting the earth in advance of the plow.

I do not desire to limit myself to the use of any particular form of excavator, as this will be determined by the kind of tile that it is designed to lay in the ditch.

A chain connects the front end of the extension S with'the axle of the forward truck,'A.

The springs N permit the bar It and the plow ,to rise a slight distance should the plowpoint come in contact with a stone or other obstruction and thus prevent the shock from straining orbreaking any part of the operating mechanism.

In order to cause the buckets 'K" to be dis- I charged of their contents as they arrive at the rear sides of the wheels I, I provide a bellcrank lever, Z, as shown in Fig. 5, which has its outer end bifurcated, and in between these 1 bifurcated ends is journaled a roller, Z. This lever is pivoted on the shaft i1, and has its lower extending end, Z, secured to a crossbar that connects the sides of the elevatorframe. I The bifurcated arms of thislever are just sufficiently long to cause the rear sides of the rollers Z to be in a line with the rear sides of the wheels I. As the buckets pass over the rear sides of the wheels I they come in contact with the roller Z, which causes them to flatten out and thereby discharge their contents upon a conveyer or discharger, which conveys the earth over the side of the machine and discharges it upon the ground to one side of the ditch and in a line therewith, from which it may be conveniently shoveled or swept back into the ditch after the tiles have been laid therein. A suitable drag may be attached to the rear end of the main frame to effect this result, if desired, after the tiles have been laid. I

The construction of the discharger is as follows: Cross-bars A connect the beams G at a suitable distance apart, near the rear ends of the beams, and j ournaled in these bars A is a rearwardly-extending shaft, A A frame, A has the inner end loosely pivoted on the shafts A, and extends outward over and beyond one side of the main frame, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A drum, A is feathered on the front end of the shaft A, between the sides of the frame A and a miter-pinion, A is keyed to the rear end of the said shaft and meshes with the miter-wheel A", that is keyed to the driving-shaft. The wheel A may be formedintegrally with the spurred wheel D, if preferred. A shaft, A, having a drum, A, is pivoted in the outer end of the frame A The drums A and A are connected by means of the endless apron A The frame A with the conveying-apron, may be moved back and forth upon the shafts A so as to be brought directly beneath and in a line with the upper end of the elevator, no matter at what angle the latter may be working, and thus receive the soil that is discharged from the buckets and convey the same out over the machineframe and discharge it to one side of the ditch.

In Fig. 6 I give a top plan View of a grading-plow, which is adapted to be secured beneath the beams O, in lieu of the ditchingplow, for the purpose of grading the upper end of the ditch before commencing to excavate it.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of the machine-frame, which is mounted upon wheels, a frame which is pivoted to the driving-shaft and which has an elevator-frame pivoted to its opposite end, an auxiliary apron which is secured to the front side of the elevator, a rod which is pivoted to said plow or excavator and which passes up through the machine-frame, and means for securing said rod at any desired ad justment, and the springs for permitting the rod a slight vertical movement for the purpose set forth, and means for actuating the elevator, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the elevator having flexible buckets, of the roller Z, which is located at the upper end of the elevator, and which is adapted to discharge the buckets of their contents as they pass over it, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the elevator-frame, which is pivoted to the machine-frame and which is provided with means for adjusting it vertically, the auxiliary apron, which is secured to the front side of the elevator-frame, a plow or excavator which is secured to the lower end of the elevator, means for raising and lowering said plow and elevator, and a bearing plate or shoe for keeping the rear side of the auxiliary apron pressed against the front side of the elevator, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in an excavating machine, of the auxiliary frame and apron with the shoe,which is secured in slots in the frame, and a spring for keeping the shoe pressed against the apron, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the elevating frame and its flexible buckets, of the lever Z and the roller Z, which is pivoted in the arms of the lever, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the shaft A, drum A*, frame A the said drum and frame being adapted to slide longitudinally 011 the shaft, and a dischargeapron that is located in the frame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS M. MARQUIS.

Vitnesses:

J AMES F. PLUMER, ED. M. Soorr. 

